24th Oct 2005 07:58
Barclays PLC24 October 2005 BARCLAYS PLC 24 October 2005 Shareholders are advised that Absa, in which Barclays PLC has a shareholding ofover 56%, has today made the Trading Statement set out below. Text of Absa announcement made on Monday 24 October 2005. Absa Group Limited(Incorporated in the Republic of South Africa)(Registration number 1986/003934/06)(JSE Code: ASA)(Issuer Code: AMAGB)(ISIN : ZAE 000013389)("Absa" or "the Group")Trading statement In terms of the Listings Requirements of the JSE Limited ("the JSE ListingRequirements") a listed company is required to publish a trading statement assoon as it becomes apparent that the financial results for the next period to bereported on are expected, with a reasonable degree of certainty, to differ by atleast 20% from those of the previous corresponding period. The continued low interest rates and favourable retail trading environment haveresulted in an improvement in the operating performance of the retail operationsand a reduction in credit impairment levels of the Group. In addition, thestrong performance of equity markets has contributed positively to the resultsof the Group. Shareholders are accordingly advised that the growth in headline earnings pershare and earnings per share of the Group for the six months ended 30 September2005 versus the comparable period in 2004 is expected to be slightly in excessof twenty percent. The forecast has not been reviewed or reported on by Absa's auditors. TheGroup's results for the six months ended 30 September 2005 will be released on21 November 2005. By order of the board Inquiries: Eric Wasserman 011 350-5887Grant Lewis 011 350-5386Issued by:Willie RouxInvestor RelationsAbsa Group Limited4th floor, Absa Towers East, 170 Main Street, Johannesburg.Tel: 2711 350-4061. Fax: 2711 350-6487E-mail: [email protected] For further information, please contact: Barclays PLCInvestor Relations Media RelationsJames Johnson Pam Horrell +44 (0) 20 7116 2927 +44 (0) 20 7116 6132 This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
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